Death and the Ploughman

Well, it took more than six hundred years, but Johannes von Saaz's proto-Renaissance dramatic masterwork finally made it to the New York stage. Written in Bohemia in 1401, Der Ackermann aus Böhmen is a series of contrasting monologues between a recently widowed farmer and Death. Translated by Michael West as Death and the Ploughman, the play is making its New York premiere at the Classic Stage Company.

Written more as a series of speeches rather than a real script, Death and the Ploughman consists of monologues spoken alternately by the titular farmer and the titular specter. The farmer, driven nearly insane by the loss of his beloved wife, violently curses Death and declares the spirit to be the worst enemy of mankind. Death offers his rebuttal, and the two are off, clashing in a battle of wills that ultimately represents the evolving Medieval views on Man's place in the world. Unfortunately, while von Saaz's arguments on either side are thought-provoking, many of the monologues are far too similar to each other to hold interest for the length of the play. In truth, it feels as though von Saaz had thirty minutes' worth of material that he dragged out for sixty.

If the script is not particularly memorable, Anne Bogart's direction certainly is, though not always in a good way. The mood is set from the time the audience enters, finding the actors already onstage, barely moving, nearly frozen in place. Throughout the play, the actors all move with deliberately exaggerated motions that sometimes highlight the truly emotional script, but more frequently overpower it. While the surreal movements are certainly eye-catching and impressive to watch, they walk a fine line between commenting on the story and distracting from it. When the device works, it's brilliant. When it doesn't, it's dull. To make matters worse, the simultaneously intense and lethargic pace of the direction drag out sixty minutes worth of material for ninety.

Fortunately, the actors all perform with a great intensity that strengthens the weaker moments, and makes the strong moments breathtaking. Will Bond plays the Ploughman with great passion, and makes his rage and grief truly heartbreaking. Stephen Webber plays Death with a good combination of wisdom, compassion, and condescension. Ellen Lauren fares somewhat less well, but only because her role is so unclear. At times, she serves as the Ploughman's dead wife. At times, she serves as an alternate voice for Death. And at the end, she steps in to play God and render a verdict on the debate between Man and Death. While Lauren never loses her intensity, this adaptation of Saaz and West's work makes her part more confusing than illuminating.

If only as a glimpse of what drama was like as it evolved from Morality Plays to theatre as we recognize it, this production is worth a visit. It has its weaknesses, but also many moments of great power and beauty.

 

Death and the Ploughman runs until December 12^th at Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13th Street. Tickets are $15 - $50, and can be ordered by calling 212-279-4200.

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